City of Lost Angels
by soThenMegansaid
Summary: When Jocelyn moves to L.A. after a terrible ordeal her past starts to haunt her. The only person who can help her is the last person that everybody suspected, Vince. But can he save her from the people that want her dead?
1. Prologue: Starting Over

**Prologue **

The sounds of the bus kept her up the whole trip. Every time she felt her body begin to succumb to sleep, a road bump jolted her awake. She rubbed her eyes a couple of times and then glanced at her watch. 1:45 AM.

"_What the hell?_" she mumbled to herself.

The person next to her stirred. Jocelyn envied the man. Not because of his rank in the world or the clothing he wore. She mainly envied the fact that he could sleep. For seven months now she had had a case of insomnia. She knew exactly what it was from, but that subject still hurt to talk about. Even think to about. Jocelyn put her face in her hands and took a deep breath. After she rubbed her face she could feel the tears beginning to form behind her silver eyes. Her brown hair spilled over her shoulders. She looked out the window and watched the scenery pass by. The headlights of the bus highlighted the oncoming sign.

LOS ANGELES- 92 miles 

Jocelyn sighed and sat back in her chair. '_City of Lost Angels'_ she remembered someone in her life once calling it. But that was long ago, seven months to be exact.

'_Cool it,'_ she commanded herself quickly.

She then did some math in her head. She figured if the bus was doing 45 down the interstate that they would be arriving in L.A. in a little more than two hours.

"Might as well try and get some sleep," she said turning slightly to get comfortable.

Just before she closed her eyes a small smile crept onto her face. It was then that she realized that she was two hours from starting over. Starting a new life.


	2. 1: Carter

**Chapter One**

_Jocelyn and Carter got out of the car and headed up toward their house._

"_I had fun tonight," Carter said as he kissed Jocelyn on the forehead._

_Jocelyn smiled and said, "Yeah, it's been a while since we've been out."_

_Carter nodded. _

"_Oh," Jocelyn said as they approached the door to their house. "I left my purse in the car."_

"_I'll go get it," Carter said as he dug in his pocket for the keys._

"_No, sweetie, I'll get it. You go ahead and head on in."_

"_Okay," Carter said as Jocelyn ran over to her silver Trans Am. _

"_Hey, next time, can we take your car?" she teased._

_Carter grinned as he thumbed through the keys. Jocelyn could hear the tinkling. It was a sound that she had grown to love over the three months that they had lived together. Exactly two years after they had started dating, they decided that it was time to move in together._

"_Do you honestly want to take a police cruiser out to eat?" Carter laughed._

_Jocelyn reached for the car door and opened it. She looked at Carter to say something and noticed that he had finally gotten the door open. Before she could say anything, there was a huge explosion. The force of the explosion, threw Jocelyn into the car, causing several bruised, if not broken, ribs. As Jocelyn landed on the ground, she passed out._

* * *

_Jocelyn regained consciousness several minutes later. She managed to slowly to stand up and face the house, which was now fully engulfed in flames._

"_Carter," she whispered as she brought a trembling hand up to her mouth. Tears spilled down her tanned cheeks and her knees gave out under her. Sirens blared in the distance._

"_Carter," she said a little louder. _

_She was pleading for him to answer her. For him to come back to her. Before she knew it, she was screaming his name and sobbing. Jocelyn only quit yelling after she lost her voice. Several neighbors rushed up to her and picked her up from the ground. _

"_Carter," she whispered one more time before the darkness took her once again._


	3. 2: Letty

**Chapter Two**

Jocelyn woke up screaming. Her eyes peered around the bus and she quickly noticed that she was alone and that the bus had stopped.

'_Must have fallen asleep,'_ she thought miserably.

A glance at her watch told her that it was 4 AM. Jocelyn stood up shakily and opened the overhead compartment. Butterflies danced across her stomach as she realized that she was in Los Angeles.

'_It feels so wrong to be happy,'_ she thought.

"Lost Angels," she whispered as she grabbed her carry-on luggage.

Jocelyn walked off the bus and peered around. There were very few people walking around the bus station. She found her two suitcases waiting for her beside the Greyhound bus. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blood red Nissan 240SX with gold decals decorating the car. A tired looking brunette sat on the hood, peering around. Jocelyn smiled.

"I thought I said I didn't every want to see your skanky ass again."

The brunette looked over at her. "Well tough shit, I'm here."

The brunette jumped off her car and ran toward Jocelyn. The two embraced tightly for what seemed like an eternity.

"I'm so glad you came, Letty," Jocelyn replied as she let her walls down temporarily and allowed her tears to flow freely.

"Well, I couldn't just let you roam around L.A. all by yourself," Letty said with a wink.

Jocelyn stuck her tongue out at Letty. Letty laughed and watched sadly as Jocelyn wiped her tears away.

"So how's Mom?" Jocelyn said as they picked up her luggage and took it over to Letty's car.

"She's better. She almost had a stroke when she found out about..."

Letty glanced sideways at her stepsister.

"You okay?" Letty asked.

Jocelyn nodded. "It still hurts sometimes, you know?"

Letty swung an arm around Jocelyn's shoulder. "It's okay, you still have me."

Jocelyn smiled and waited for Letty to pop the trunk. Once her luggage was loaded up, they climbed into the car and headed towards Letty's house.

* * *

As Letty pulled up to the house, Jocelyn took a deep breath. She had never met the people who Letty lived with and often preferred to stick around people she knew very well. Meeting new people, for Jocelyn, was a difficult task. Letty sensed her sister's nervousness and squeezed her hand.

"It'll be all right," Letty said reassuringly. "You'll like them and they'll like you."

Jocelyn managed to smile weakly.

"Come on," Letty said as parked the car. The two girls got out and walked up to the front porch. Letty opened the door and they both walked into the house. As Letty shut the door, the house became pitch black.

"Everyone's still asleep, but they'll be up in an hour or two. In the meantime, you should get some sleep. Come on, I'll show you to your room."

Letty led Jocelyn up the stairs and into the guest room.

"Bathroom's down the hall, and if you need anything, anything at all, I'll be in the room across the hall. Okay?"

Jocelyn nodded and began to get in the bed.

"We'll get your stuff out in the morning."

"Okay," Jocelyn said as she made herself comfortable in the bed. However, she didn't plan to sleep, just merely rest her aching muscles.

Letty looked over at her sister and felt sorry for her. Carter was the best thing that had ever happened to her sister, and it hurt like hell to see her without him.

"I love you," Letty said as she turned off the overhead light and walked out of the room.

"Love you, too," Letty heard her say before she disappeared into her own room. She saw Dom asleep and decided not to disturb him, so she left the room silently and slept on the couch.


	4. 3: Why Do You Huant Me?

**Chapter Three**

"_Miss?" _

_Jocelyn heard the voice but didn't respond. Shock had taken over her body. _

"_Miss?"_

_Jocelyn stared up at the police officer in front of her. _

"_Miss?" he said once more. "I need you to tell me what happened here."_

_Jocelyn clutched tighter to the gray blanket that was wrapped around her. Despite the heat that was coming from the house, Jocelyn was freezing. The spaghetti strap black dress that came up to her mid-thigh didn't help either._

"_Carter," she whispered._

"_Carter? Was that the man's name? Was that the man who did this? Ma'am, I need you to talk to me," the officer said._

"_Leave her alone," came a voice from behind the officer._

_The officer whirled around and found the chief of police standing behind him. _

"_Yes, sir," the officer said before he disappeared._

"_Jared?" Jocelyn said as the man sat beside her._

"_Shhhh, it's okay," Jared said as he took Jocelyn into his arms._

"_He's dead, Jared. Carter's dead." _

_Jocelyn started to weep silently._

"_I know," Jared whispered. _

_He too felt tears beginning to fall, but he held them back. Losing his best friend was devastating, but he had to stay strong for Jocelyn. He was all she had left. Her family was back in L.A. and she was in Atlanta, Georgia._

"_Do they know who left the bomb?" Jocelyn asked, her voice cracking slightly._

_Jared shook his head no. "We'll find them. I promise you."_

_Jocelyn nodded and after a while she fell asleep. Jared held her closer and watched as they firefighters searched the remains of the house. Red and blue lights danced across Jocelyn's face as she slept. Jared looked down at his best friend's girlfriend. _

'I'll find who did this,'_ he promised. _'And I'll send 'em to hell when I do.'

* * *

Jocelyn shook the memories from her brain as she woke up.

'_Why do you haunt me?' _she asked herself mentally.

Jocelyn didn't receive an answer, only silence.


	5. 4: Vince

**Chapter Four**

Around 7:45, Jocelyn finally decided to get out of bed. She slowly slipped out of the safety of the sheets and out into the hall. Sounds of clanking plates and groggy voices filled the hallway as she made her way down stairs. A feeling of nervousness floated across Jocelyn's stomach as she reached the last step.

'_I don't know these people,'_ she thought as she rounded the corner and headed into the living room.

She immediately found Letty on the couch asleep. A small smile spread across her face as she watched Letty sleep with her mouth slightly open and snoring lowly.

'_I've got to wake her,' _Jocelyn decided.

'_I'm not going to walk into a kitchen full of people I don't know,'_ she thought as she shook Letty's shoulder.

Letty's eyes fluttered and then she slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey sis," Jocelyn said warmly as Letty sat up.

"Hey," Letty replied as she wiped sleep from her eyes. "The team up yet?"

Jocelyn nodded.

"You want to go out and get breakfast?"

"Please."

"All right, let's go," Letty replied as they headed toward the front door.

* * *

Letty drove her younger sister to an old mom-and-pop restaurant that they used to go to as teenagers. They sat in a booth that was in the very back of the restaurant.

After the waitress handed them their menu Letty said, "Order anything you want, it's on me."

Several minutes later the waitress came back and they ordered.

"Yeah, I'll take a cup of coffee with your number three."

The waitress nodded. "How will you have your coffee?"

"Black," Letty said as she closed her menu and handed it to the waitress. Her nametag told Letty that her name was Tina.

"And what will you have?" Tina asked Jocelyn with a warm smile.

Jocelyn closed her menu and said, "Just a glass of orange juice, thanks."

"You sure?" Tina asked as she took the menu.

Jocelyn nodded.

"All right, you're order will be out shortly," Tina said before disappearing.

"Orange juice? Come on sis, you got to eat better than that. I mean look at you, you're nothing but skin and bones."

"Let, I do eat."

Letty rolled her eyes. "What was the last thing you ate?"

"I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast yesterday," Jocelyn said weakly.

"Joce, you've got to take better care of yourself," Letty said. Her voice was filled with concern.

Jocelyn nodded and stared at her hands.

"What's wrong?" Letty asked.

"It's nothing."

"Jocelyn Marie Rodriguez-Garcia, I don't buy it. Now you're going to tell me what's really wrong."

Jocelyn looked up and her silver eyes met Letty's rich brown ones. She sighed and licked her lips nervously.

"The dreams are back," she said so lowly that Letty had to strain to hear them.

Letty sighed. "How long?"

"Two, three weeks tops."

Letty sighed again and ran a hand through her hair. "Mom know?"

Jocelyn shook her head. "She's send me back to that shrink if she knew."

"All right, I won't tell mom, but you have to tell me the second they get as bad as last time. Okay?"

Jocelyn nodded. Silence fell between them. Shortly after the conversation ended, Tina reappeared with their breakfast and the bill. She laid a glass of orange juice and a bagel in front of Jocelyn.

"It's on the house," she whispered into her ear before she walked off.

Letty started to eat her breakfast. Jocelyn nibbled on her bagel and took a few sips out of her glass. Letty looked up half way through her breakfast and watched her sister. Her heart broke into a million pieces. Jocelyn had changed dramatically since Carter's horrific death. She used to be outspoken and had a bubbly personality. It seemed like Jocelyn always had a smile on her face. But now she was quiet and you had to practically force her to say two words. Letty sighed and pushed her plate forward.

"You ready?" she asked.

Jocelyn nodded and stood up. She waited patiently as Letty paid the bill and left Tina a gracious tip. As they left, Letty stopped Tina and said thank you.

"No problem," Tina replied with a warm smile.

The two girls walked out and got into Letty's car. The ride back to the Toretto residence was a silent one.

When the girls pulled up, everyone was seated on the front porch goofing off. The team always took Saturday off because it was race day. As Jocelyn stepped out of the car, she could feel several eyes on her.

"Letty," a deep voice rang out. Jocelyn shut the door and sat on the hood of Letty's car.

"I'll be right back," she whispered as she headed up the front lawn.

"Where ya been?" Dom asked as Letty climbed the stairs.

"Went out to eat," Letty replied.

* * *

Jocelyn resituated herself on the car and stared at her hands. She could still feel several eyes on her and was very uncomfortable. Jocelyn could barely hear Letty's words as she talked to her friends. She could see someone out of the corner of her eye approaching her. Jocelyn looked up expecting to see Letty coming back, but she saw a man approaching her. The man was about 6'1" and was very well built. He had light brown hair with a scraggly beard. Several different tattoos decorated his muscular arms as well as a scar. The scar spiraled up his arm. It started at his wrist and worked its way up. Jocelyn then noticed his beautiful blue eyes.

"Hey," he said as he stood in front of her.

"Hi," Jocelyn said quietly.

"My name is Vince," he said as he stuck his hand out.

Jocelyn reached out and shook his hand.

"I'm Jocelyn."

"Nice to meet you. So, you're a friend of Letty's?"

Jocelyn shook her head and looked at her hands.

"I'm her stepsister; I'm surprised she didn't tell you that."

"She probably did," Vince admitted with a smile. "But I wasn't really paying attention. Something had caught my eye."

Vince's grin turned into a smile that was absolutely heart stopping. Jocelyn felt her face beginning to turn red.

"You going to be staying here for a while?" he asked.

Jocelyn felt herself slowly opening up to him. Every time he spoke, it sent chills down her spin.

"Yeah, until I can find a place of my own," she said as she looked into his eyes.

Vince didn't try to hide his excitement. Jocelyn felt her face begin to turn red again, so she looked over at the porch. Everyone was watching them. However, Letty had a look on her face that she couldn't really describe. It was almost as if Letty didn't want Jocelyn talking to Vince.

'_What's wrong?' _Jocelyn asked herself silently. She looked back at Vince.

* * *

Letty stood on the porch watching the interaction between Vince and Jocelyn.

'_Awww, Joce. Out of all the people you could attract, you attract Vince. He's going to hurt you badly,_' Letty thought.

She glanced around the porch and saw that everybody else was thinking the same thing.

'_Vince,' _Letty vowed, _'you better not hurt her. If you do..." _

Letty didn't finish the thought. She prayed that she wouldn't have to.


	6. 5: Introductions

**Chapter Five**

"Yo Joce!" Letty screamed from the front porch.

Jocelyn looked away from Vince and towards the porch.

"Come 'ere," Letty said, waving them over.

Jocelyn and Vince walked up to front yard and up the stairs.

"Yeah?" Jocelyn asked, sticking her hands in her back pockets.

"I want you to meet the team. The guy with the toothpick in his mouth is Leon. Jesse's the one with the beanie on. That's Mia and her boyfriend, Brian. This brute next to me is my boyfriend, Dom. Guys, this is my sister, Jocelyn," Letty said as she pointed out the members of the team.

Dom chuckled at Letty's description of him. "And she wouldn't have it any other way. It's nice to meet you, Jocelyn."

Jocelyn smiled and said, "You too."

Dom looked down at his watch and said, "We better head to the garage. A Celica is getting dropped off in about 20 minutes."

The team separated and headed toward their cars.

"You're with me," Letty called out to Jocelyn.

As the two girls climbed into the car, Letty asked, "So are you going to go to the garage with me or hang with Mia?"

Jocelyn shrugged. "I think it would be best if I went to the store. I haven't been in a garage in so long that I'm afraid I won't be much help."

Letty nodded and started her car. She then backed out of the driveway and headed to the store.

"So I take it that you quit racing?"

Jocelyn nodded and looked out the window. "When I first met Carter, he made a comment that he didn't like street racers. To him they were just NASCAR wannabe's. When he said that, I didn't want him to think of me as one, so I quit racing and never told him that I had street raced. A little while later, I quit my job at a local garage because it was too tempting to be around all the cars."

Letty watched her sister out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, we'll just have to get you reacquainted with the racing world," Letty commented as she pulled into a parking space in front of 'Toretto's'.

"We'll see," Jocelyn said as she climbed out of the car.

* * *

Jocelyn threw the old blue dishrag onto the counter as she looked at the clock on the wall. It was 5:30. Jocelyn groaned. The team wouldn't be off until 6 o'clock maybe 7. Mia giggled from her spot in the office.

"I heard that!"

Jocelyn chuckled. "It's not that I don't like working here..." she began to say.

Mia smiled as she came out of the office.

"I understand," she said as she raised her hands in mock surrender. "Letty has the same attitude about working here."

Jocelyn smiled at the thought of seeing Letty making sandwiches for impatient teenagers.

"I have a hard time seeing her working here," she replied.

Mia nodded. "She rarely does, but..."

Mia's sentence was cut short by the sound of high performance engines.

"Team's here," she announced.

Jocelyn took the dishrag from off the counter and began to wipe it down again. She looked up when she saw six beautiful cars pull up. She went down the line naming each car. There was a red Mazda RX-7, an orange Toyota Supra, a blood red Nissan 240SX, a blue Nissan Maxima, a yellow Nissan Skyline, and a white Jetta. Each car had similar decals on the sides. The team filed out of their cars.

Jesse and Leon walked in and headed over to the bags of chips. They then became fascinated with the sunglasses and started messing with them. Mia ran up to Brian and gave him a hug and a kiss.

"Get a room," Letty said as she took a seat on a barstool.

Dom and Vince took a seat on each side of her.

"So," Letty said with an evil grin. "How was your first day?"

Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "I'm going with you tomorrow."

All three of them chuckled.

"It wasn't that bad," Mia said, laughing lightly.

"No offense, Mia, but it was horrible. I don't have enough patience for this job," Jocelyn stated.

Mia smiled before continuing her conversation with Brian.

"I have an idea," Letty said as Jocelyn messed with the rag. "Why don't we go out to eat tonight?"

Leon groaned from the other side of the store. "Does that mean I got to get dressed up?" he asked.

Letty laughed. "Yeah it does, ya big baby...What d'ya think, Dom?"

Dom shrugged. "What do you think, Jocelyn?"

Jocelyn looked up from the rag. She felt slightly uncomfortable with everybody's gaze on her.

"Me?" she asked.

Dom nodded.

"It's cool with me."

"Well then it's set. We'll go out to eat tonight. We should probably leave for the restaurant around eight, eight-thirty."

The team agreed. "Well it's time to go then," Letty said with a smile.

* * *

Jocelyn walked into the bathroom wearing a pair of khakis and a three quarter length black shirt. Letty was sitting on the counter applying her mascara.

"You're going like that?" Letty asked, not looking at her.

"Yeah," replied Jocelyn. "Why?"

"Mia!!!" Letty called out.

The sound echoed in the bathroom. Mia came up to the door within seconds.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Do you remember the dress you bought last week? The really sexy black one?" Letty asked, turning to Mia.

Mia nodded. "What about it?"

"Let Joce wear it."

Mia smiled and said, "Oh, she'll look great in it!"

"Dress?" Jocelyn asked tentatively.

Mia grabbed Jocelyn's hand and dragged her into her room. She then immediately threw open her closet doors and began searching for the dress.

"Here it is!" Mia exclaimed as she pulled out a gorgeous black dress.

It was a halter-top dress made out of a silky material. The neckline was very low and the back was low as well

"No," Jocelyn said almost immediately.

"Why not?" Letty asked as she leaned in the doorway of Mia's room.

"For one, there's no way I can borrow that. It has to be expensive, and I'll be spending the whole night worrying about spilling stuff on it."

"And?" Letty asked. She raised her eyebrows.

"And...and...well, I won't look good in it."

Mia laughed. "Trust me. You'll look gorgeous."

"Whatever," Jocelyn replied as she took the dress from Mia and headed into the bathroom.

"Oh and here are the shoes," Mia said as she handed her a pair of black heels that had laces that wrapped up her mid-calf.

Jocelyn groaned before closing the bathroom door.

* * *

"Come on Joce, let me see," Letty called from outside the bathroom door.

"Hold on," she replied. "I got to finish my make-up," Jocelyn called back.

She heard Letty growl lowly before walking away from the door. Jocelyn finished applying her mascara. She closed the tube before taking a good look at herself in the mirror. Mia had been right, the dress looked absolutely stunning. It came up to her mid-thigh and fit in all the right places. Jocelyn had done her make-up dark and left her hair down. Just before she walked out of the bathroom, Jocelyn put on a necklace that Carter had given to her for her birthday. It was a small rose bud on a silky black ribbon.

Jocelyn put her hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. She knew that Mia and Letty were on the other side waiting on her. Slowly she opened the door and stepped out. Mia gasped and Letty smiled.

"You look amazing," Mia said.

Jocelyn blushed slightly.

"You do look amazing," Letty said as she gave her a hug.

"Y'all do too," Jocelyn replied.

Mia was wearing a cream colored dress that had patterns drawn in red all over it. She looked beautiful. Letty was wearing a dress as well, even though she didn't look happy about it. She wore a red dress that accented her curves well.

Jocelyn quirked an eyebrow toward Letty.

"Mia made me," Letty said so only Jocelyn could hear.

"Shall we?" Mia asked as she gestured toward the stairs.

The girls nodded.

"I'll go first, Letty you go second, and Jocelyn you can go third," Mia offered.

"Okay," Letty said quickly when she sensed that Jocelyn was going argue.

Mia started to walk downstairs. Jocelyn's stomach was filled with butterflies. Letty smiled as she waited for Mia to get to the end. Jocelyn stood awkwardly at the top of the stairs as Letty started to walk down the stairs.

Her mind was racing.

'_Should I be doing this? Well, it's not exactly a date...Will Vince think I look nice? Whoa, where did that come from?'_


	7. 6: On The Way

****

**Chapter Six**

Jocelyn watched as Letty disappeared.

'_Showtime,'_ she thought.

She slowly descended the stairs. Each step she took made her more nervous. Thoughts of Vince's expectations ran wild in her mind. She quickly silenced them as the team came in view.

* * *

Vince stood watching anxiously as Jocelyn came down the stairs. His breath caught in his throat. She looked beautiful. He smiled slightly when he noticed that she was watching the steps and not looking up at anyone. Her hair fell over her shoulders. Vince felt his heart speed up, and it scared him.

Jocelyn reached the end of the stairs and looked around the room. Letty walked up to her and put her arm through Jocelyn's.

"All right, this is the driving arrangement. Brian and Mia, you two are together. Leon and Jesse can drive together. I want V and Jocelyn to go together. Letty and I will be together. Everybody got it?"

Everyone agreed. Vince chuckled slightly when he realized that Dom was treating the night out just like he would a street race.

'_Wait a minute...did he put me with Jocelyn?'_

* * *

Jocelyn's heart fluttered when she heard Dom put her and Vince together. Everyone started to walk out of the house. She looked at him and noticed what he was wearing. He was wearing a pair of khakis with a white button-up shirt. The first two buttons had been unbuttoned.

Vince walked up to her as Letty walked out of the house with Dom.

"You look beautiful," he said.

She blushed slightly.

"Thanks," Jocelyn replied.

"May I?" Vince asked as he stuck an arm out for her.

Jocelyn nodded and looped her arm through his. They walked out to his Maxima. He held the door open for her.

"Thank you," she said as she climbed in.

Vince shut the door and jogged around to the driver's side. He climbed in and started the car. He then waited patiently for Leon to pull out of the driveway.

* * *

Dom sat in the driver's seat talking to Letty. They were on their way to Cha Cha Cha.

"I still don't think that you should have put them together."

Dom sighed. "Well it was either with him or Leon and Jesse. It just worked out this way."

"I don't want them getting together," Letty said as she looked out the window.

"And why not?" Dom asked curiously.

"He'll hurt her. I know it," Letty replied.

Dom chuckled. "You can't protect her from the world, Letty. Let her live her life and make mistakes."

Letty glared at him. "Dom, she has been through more shit that you and I combined. She had to deal with her mom's drug addiction all through her childhood. Her brother died, when she was eight, of cancer. She had to pay for her mom's rehab, bail her out when she got arrested for being drunk and disorderly, and find her mom a place to live all throughout college. Then you add her dad remarrying to my mom and Carter's death. She's had a very rough life. I want to make it as simple as I can from here on out," Letty said as she continued to stare out of the window.

Dom patted Letty's leg briefly. "I haven't seen you act this way towards anybody."

Letty nodded. "She's my best friend. It killed me when she moved back to Atlanta. Now that she's back...I just want her to be happy, that's all."

"V can make her happy."

Letty looked over at Dom like he was crazy.

"He's not always the 'ol Coyote. Remember when he and Taylor dated a couple of months back? He's a nice guy when he's with the right girl. And I think...no I know, that Jocelyn is just what he needs. Trust me, baby," Dom said.

"I'm trying," Letty said, sighing. "It's just so hard knowing his past. What if he hooks up with a skank while they're dating? That would crush her. She's not tough like me. She doesn't handle emotional situations easily. Especially after Carter's death."

"What happened to him?" Dom asked.

Letty shrugged. "From what I've heard, a person put a bomb in their house. It was set to go off when the front door was opened. The police believed that the bomb was meant for both of them, but luckily she forgot her purse and went back for it."

"Why would someone want to plant a bomb in their house?" Dom asked.

"Carter was a police officer. The Atlanta PD had recently had a huge drug bust and it involved several mob members. The APD believe that the bombing was revenge for sending several mob members to jail. Retaliation basically."

"Well, what about Jocelyn? If it was meant to kill her too, then why haven't they come after her?"

"I don't know. She was in Protective Services for a while, but the government could only keep her in there for so long."

Dom nodded and pulled into the parking lot of Cha Cha Cha. He turned to Letty and said, "I'm sorry if I upset you. I just thought that it would be good for both of them."

Letty nodded and smiled. "That's fine. Let's not worry about it and try to have a good time."

"All right," Dom said as they both climbed out of the car.


	8. 7: Not Going Home?

**City of Lost Angels  
**_Chapter Seven_

Everyone walked into the restaurant. They were seated fifteen minutes later. After everyone ordered, conversation was made. The food was brought out and then the conversation resumed. Jocelyn sat at the end of the table sipping her water. She wasn't really hungry and didn't feel comfortable eating out. She hadn't eaten at a restaurant in a while and it was bringing back memories.

"What's up?" Letty whispered from her seat next to Jocelyn.

Jocelyn shook her head and took another sip of her water.

"You're not eating again."

"Letty..."

"No, you listen. This has gone far enough. I want you to get help, Jocelyn. Something's wrong with you, and we need to get it fixed."

"Nothing's wrong," Jocelyn replied.

"Then why aren't you eating?" Letty countered.

"Maybe I'm not hungry," Jocelyn snapped.

Letty rolled her eyes and continued to eat. Jocelyn sighed. She had always hated fighting with Letty. She looked up from her plate and found Vince watching her. She smiled slightly before standing up.

"I need to use the restroom," she muttered before walking off.

Once she was inside the safety of the bathroom, she locked herself in a stall. Jocelyn put the lid to the toilet down and sat on it. She put her head in her hands. Memories came flooding back.

* * *

_Jared motioned for Jocelyn to sit in the seat in front of him. Once she did, he took her hands in his._

"_What's wrong?" she asked._

"_Jocelyn, the police have reason to believe that the bomb was also meant for you," Jared replied._

"_What?"_

_Jared nodded._

"_Why?" she asked._

_Jared shrugged before saying, "We don't know."_

_Jocelyn's eyes started to water. "You don't know?"_

_Jared shook his head. _

"_We'll have to put you in Protective Services for the time being. It's just a precaution," he said after a moment or two._

_Jocelyn took her hands from his and ran them through her hair._

"_How long?"_

"_A couple of months. We have to make sure that you aren't in any danger."_

_Jocelyn nodded._

"_Have you informed his family?" she asked._

"_Yes, we have. The funeral is going to be tomorrow. But there is one thing…"_

"_What?" Jocelyn asked._

"_You won't be able to go to it."_

"_What!"_

"_The people who planted the bomb might be there. They might try to kill you. We can't let that happen."_

"_You're keeping me from his funeral because of something somebody might do?"_

_Jared nodded._

"_That's ridiculous," Jocelyn spat before she jumped up from her chair and stormed out the APD Precinct. _

"_Jocelyn," Jared screamed._

_Jocelyn pretended not to hear as she walked out of the front door.

* * *

_

A knock interrupted Jocelyn's thoughts.

"Jocelyn?" a male's voice called through the door.

Jocelyn stood up and unlocked the stall door. She then walked over to the bathroom door and opened it.

"We're leaving," Vince said.

Jocelyn nodded and walked out of the bathroom. The two joined the team and walked out of the restaurant. Letty tried to talk to Jocelyn, but she ignored her. Vince opened the door to the car for Jocelyn before getting in the car himself. The ride home was a silent one.

As they crossed the highway, Vince took a different exit than the team.

"Where are we going?" Jocelyn asked.

Vince reached over and turned his cell phone off. "I figured that you didn't want to go home quite yet."

Jocelyn smiled and said, "Thanks."

"No prob."

"He's not answering his phone!" Letty practically screamed as she paced back and forth across the living room.

"Calm down Letty," Dom said as he tried to stop her pacing.

"I can't Dom!" she screamed.

He raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Why not?" Leon asked from the floor. He was playing the Playstation 2 with Jesse.

Letty sighed and sat on the couch next to Dom. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him.

"Right after Carter's death she quit eating. She also started to have really bad nightmares. The nightmares got so bad that she stopped sleeping. Then my mom visited her and found Jocelyn in the bathroom. She had tried to kill herself by slitting her wrists. Mom immediately got her an appointment with a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist put her on some meds to help her depression. She got better and finally was able to get off the medicine. But lately, the dreams have been coming back and she has stopped eating. I'm scared that she's going to try to kill herself again, and that she'll succeed this time."

The room was silent. Dom tightened his grip on Letty.

"Wow," Mia said.

"Yeah, wow," Leon agreed.

"So you guys see why I can't calm down."

"I'm sure that V will take good care of her," Dom said reassuringly.

"I sure hope so," Letty said as she laid her head on Dom's chest.


	9. 8: Talking

****

**Chapter Eight**

"Come on," Vince said as he climbed out of his car.

Jocelyn followed him. They both got on the hood of the car and leaned against the windshield.

"So...what kind of car do you want?" he asked.

Jocelyn looked over at him. She smiled slightly. "Now that I'm down here, I'd like to get a black Toyota Celica."

"Why one of those?" Vince asked,

Jocelyn shrugged and looked out at the scenery Vince had taken her to a deserted beach.

"I don't know," she said after a while. "I saw one the other day and it looked pretty cool. I haven't raced in a while, so I don't really know what's out there."

Vince nodded.

"So where are we?" she asked.

"It's a place my mom used to take me when my dad came home drunk and smelling like cheap women."

"I'm sorry," Jocelyn whispered.

"Don't be. Besides, my mom's in a better place now and my dad's in jail."

The two sat in silence, just staring out at the ocean.

"Could we stay here? I really don't want to go home and face Letty," Jocelyn asked. after a couple of minutes.

Vince chuckled. "If you want. Do you guys fight often?"

"No, but when we do, it hurts like a bitch. She's just overprotective of me because I'm the younger one and the one that has made the most mistakes."

"We all make mistakes," Vince reasoned.

"Yeah, try telling that to her. She thinks that because I've tried to kill myself once that I'm suicidal and my every thought is about death."

Vince looked over at her. "You tried to kill yourself?"

Jocelyn nodded slowly.

"Yeah. It was shortly after Carter's death. I was miserable as hell and didn't see a point in going any further. So one day, I went in the bathroom and slit my wrists. I had forgotten that my step-mom was stopping by. She came in and got an ambulance. I then went to a psychiatrist and he put me on happy pills, but they made me feel weird. I felt like the medicine was making act like someone else. I was completely different and I didn't like it. So I went off the meds about a week after they were prescribed, but you can't tell anybody."

Jocelyn looked over at Vince. He watched her intently.

"I won't," he promised. "Do you like it here in LA?"

Jocelyn smiled. At that moment, she loved Vince. He was intentionally trying to divert the subject from anything that would upset her.

"Yeah, it's all right. Not ATL of course, but it's cool. I'mma have to get used to this heat though," she said as she pulled the dress away from her chest.

Vince's eyes raked hungrily over her. He suddenly felt a burst of passion. He leaned over and kissed Jocelyn.

Jocelyn was shocked when she felt Vince's lips on hers. His beard rubbed against her chin, tickling her slightly. She pushed him back.

"What?" he asked. He looked into her eyes.

Jocelyn wanted to stare into his eyes forever.

"It's just...not yet," she replied.

Vince nodded and said, "I see."

He sat back and leaned against the windshield. Jocelyn felt like she couldn't breathe. She wanted his gaze back on her.

"So what kind of car did you have back in Atlanta?" he asked.

Jocelyn laughed.

* * *

Several feet down the beach sat a parked car. The driver sat in the car taking pictures of the two. With each picture he took, he thought of different ways that he could kill Jocelyn. An evil grin crossed his face when he realized that he knew exactly how he wanted to kill her.


	10. 9: Home Sweet Home

****

**Chapter Nine**

The second Vince and Jocelyn walked in the house, Letty started the interrogation.

"Where have you two been?"

"Letty," came Dom's voice from the living room.

"Dom, it's seven o'clock in the morning. I have a right to know my sister has been all night," Letty spat.

"Out," Jocelyn said before she walked upstairs to her room. She locked the door behind her. As she changed into a tank and a pair of shorts, she heard Letty try to open her door.

"Joce, let me in," she called.

Jocelyn sighed. "Not now, Letty. I'm tired."

She then climbed in her bed and pulled the blankets over her head.

* * *

Letty stormed down the stairs.

"So where were you guys?" Letty asked Vince.

"We were out," Vince replied as he flipped through the channels on the TV.

"Yeah, I noticed, but where the hell did you go?"

"Why would I tell you?" Vince said without looking at her. "She may need to disappear again for a little while. I want her to have a place to think."

Letty rolled her eyes. "V, you don't know the half of it."

"The half of what Letty? Your sister is dealing with the loss of her boyfriend. She needs to be able to turn to you for help, not run the other way. Just let it go. Say you're sorry and move on."

"Say I'm sorry? For what? For caring? I realize what she's dealing with and I'm trying to help. My sister needs professional help."

"She's had help. And the last time..."

"What happened the last time?" Letty interrupted.

Vince shook his head as he remembered the promise he gave Jocelyn.

"Nothing," Vince replied as he turned off the television.

"V, what the hell are you hiding from me?" Letty said.

"Nothing, Letty. Just let it go," Vince replied.

"I can't let it go. She's my sister. It's my job to care."

"Jocelyn is capable of taking care of herself. I've only known her for a day, but I'm pretty sure that if she's made it this far, she can go on without you."

Letty glared at Vince. She was very hurt by his statement, but she did what she did every time she was hurt. She covered it up with anger.

"What do you know? You just want to get in her pants anyways!" Letty screamed.

"That was uncalled for," Vince spat.

"It's true. You haven't had a steady relationship with a girl since you dated Taylor and you even fucked that one up. Face it, V. You know nothing when it comes to girls. So why don't you just leave my sister the hell alone?"

Vince growled and walked up to Letty. Letty watched as Vince's chest puffed in and out. She was scared. She immediately knew that she had pushed his buttons too far. Letty winced as Vince brushed past her and stormed down to the basement. He slammed the door when he reached his room.

Dom came inside when he heard the door slam.

"What the hell's going on?" he asked. He looked around and saw that Vince was gone.

"Nothing. V and I just had a little argument that's all," Letty said as she sat on the couch.

"Little?" Dom asked skeptically. "Last time I checked, a little argument didn't end up with doors being slammed."

"Dom, can we just not talk about it?" Letty asked as she rubbed her head.

"Yeah," Dom said as he sat on the couch next to her. He pulled her closer to him and started to massage her shoulders. "I was thinking that we would not open the garage and store today. That sound okay with you?"

Letty nodded.

"It's gonna be okay," Dom said. He wrapped his arms around her and sat his chin on top of her head. "Everything's going to blow over and we'll all be happy."

"I sure hope so," Letty replied as she turned the TV on.

"They will," Dom said reassuringly. "Trust me."


	11. 10: The Talk

****

**Chapter Ten**

Jocelyn woke up when she heard a car pulling out of the driveway. She looked up at the alarm clock and saw that it was three o'clock in the afternoon. She pulled herself out of bed and went down stairs.

The living room was empty. She looked around and saw that Playstation 2 controllers were strewn across the room. She heard the refrigerator door close. Vince walked out of the kitchen.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," Jocelyn replied as she moved a controller from the couch.

"Let me get that," Vince said as he took it from her hand.

"Thanks," she said as she sat down on the couch.

"No prob. So, do you want a beer?" Vince asked, offering the one in his hand.

Jocelyn declined and began to watch TV. Several minutes later, Jesse and Leon came into the living room.

"Mind if we play some PS 2?" Jesse asked as he grabbed the controller that V had moved.

"Naw, y'all can play," Jocelyn said as she handed the remote to Leon.

"Thanks," Leon replied as he turned the PS 2 on. Vince and Jocelyn sat and watched as they played Grand Turismo 3.

"So did you and Letty get into an argument?" Jocelyn asked after a while.

Vince shrugged. "It was no big deal."

Leon chuckled. "So that's why we could hear you and her screaming all the way outside?"

"Yeah," Jocelyn said. "I could hear it too."

Vince sighed. "We were just saying how we felt."

"V, I don't want you arguing with my sister because of me. It was never my intention to come here and disturb things. If I have to, I'll leave."

"No, it's not that. It was just a lot of things that had been building up over the last few months. Plus, Letty felt that I was going to..."

"You were going to what?" Jocelyn asked.

"She just doesn't trust me around you."

"I told you that she was overprotective. I've told her several times, but she won't back down. However, she's my sister, so I have to put up with her. Plus, I love her to death."

Letty walked into the kitchen just in time to hear Jocelyn's last statement. It hurt to say the least.

"Hey guys, have you seen Dom?" she asked as she walked into the living room.

"He went on a beer run," Leon replied without taking his eyes off of the TV.

"Oh," Letty said. "Hey Joce. Can I talk to ya for a sec?"

Letty motioned to the backyard with her thumb.

"Yeah," Jocelyn replied.

She stood up from the couch and followed Letty out back. Once there, they both sat down at the picnic table. Letty messed with her hands as she thought of the right words to say.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Jocelyn smiled. "You don't have to be."

"Yeah I do," Letty replied. "I've been such a bitch to you. It's just that...I worry about you. And it's obvious that you have a thing for V, and I don't want him to hurt you. I feel like Carter's death was partly my fault."

"How?" Jocelyn asked.

Letty shrugged. "I could have begged you to come out to LA. I don't know, but I'll never forgive myself for you getting hurt."

"Letty, it was in no way your fault. You were all the way across the country at the time," Jocelyn replied.

Letty nodded. A tear slipped down her cheek.

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting, but I almost lost you once. I don't want to lose you again."

Jocelyn pulled Letty into her arms. "You won't lose me, Let. I'm here to stay, I promise."

Down the street, a man sat in a parked car taking more pictures. He smiled as he saw the interaction between the two girls.

"I'm coming for you, Jocelyn," he said as he sat the camera down. "Your death will be soon."

The man started the car and drove off before anybody saw him.


	12. 11: Bullets

**Chapter Eleven**

"Come on," Letty said as she stood up from the bench. "Let's play some ball."

Jocelyn nodded and walked over to the basketball goal with Letty. Just as they were about to get started, Dom pulled up.

"I lied," he announced as he got out of his RX-7.

"'Bout what?" Letty asked. She tucked the basketball under her arm.

"We need to open the garage today."

"Dom, it's like 3:30. Don't ya think it's a little late?"

Dom shrugged. "We need to open the garage. Three cars are comin' in and we still have two in the back to work on. Jocelyn, do you feel like working at the store? Mia is at school and since the garage will be open, we might as well open the store."

Jocelyn nodded. "I can do that."

"Great. Letty you wanna run her over there?"

"Sure," Letty replied as she sat the ball down and went inside to get her keys.

"We're gonna have to get you a car, Joce. Do you mind if I call you that?" Dom said.

"Nah, it's cool Dom. Don't worry about the car. I'll get one by myself."

"V told me that you would like to get a Celica."

"Yeah, it'd be cool to have one of those."

"A customer brought one in the other day. He said that he was fixin' it up so that he could sell it. What if I bought it for ya and you pay me back by workin' at the garage and the store?"

"Dom, you don't have to do that."

"Yes, he does," Letty said as she walked out of the house. "Besides, I can't always be takin' your ass places."

Jocelyn smiled. "All right."

"I'll tell the owner that we're interested," Dom said as he walked back to his car.

Letty and Jocelyn walked to Letty's car and got in.

"When do you think that he'll be able to get it?" Jocelyn asked.

"Tomorrow."

Jocelyn smiled and buckled her seatbelt.

'_My life is slowly getting better.'_

* * *

Jocelyn stood behind the counter flipping through a car magazine. She closed it and moved it out of the way when she heard a car pull up. It was black Cadillac CTS.

"Can I help you?" she asked as a man walked up to her.

He was 6" tall maybe taller and had short brown hair. His eyes were a light blue. He had a clean shaven face. Jocelyn found herself slightly attracted to him. He was wearing a black suit with a gray button up shirt underneath it.

"Yes, you can," the man said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun.

Jocelyn gasped and dropped to the floor as the man began to shoot. She covered up her head and brought her knees up to her chins. She desperately tried to press herself closer and closer toward the ground. Objects all around her were reduced to shards as they were hit with bullets. Jocelyn screamed as several bullets whizzed past her. One grazed her shoulder and blood began to run down her chest. Fear froze Jocelyn to her place; however intense pain quickly replaced the fear. Jocelyn looked down at her stomach and saw a small red stain on her shirt. The stain was slowly getting bigger.

'_Oh God!'_ she thought as she pressed her hand over the wound.

Then, as quickly as the man started, he stopped. Jocelyn could hear him walking towards her. He was about to come around the counter, when the sound of a high performance engine filled the air. Silent tears began to stream down Jocelyn's cheeks. She heard the man's footsteps as he ran back to his car and jumped in. He started the car and sped off.

Seconds later, a car pulled up in front of the café. The car screeched to a halt. Jocelyn pulled her knees closer to her chest and began to sob.

Vince pulled up in front of the café and immediately knew that something was wrong. He quickly realized that there were bullet holes everywhere. The normally neat café looked like a tornado hit it.

"Jocelyn!" Vince screamed.

Vince could hear a person crying, but he couldn't tell where the sound was coming from.

"Over here," Jocelyn called out. Her voice was very low.

Vince rushed around the counter and found Jocelyn lying on the floor.

"My God," he said before he scooped her into his arms.

Jocelyn screamed out in pain. Vince glanced at her and saw that she had been shot in the abdomen and was losing blood, fast.

"Hold on. We'll get you to a hospital," he said as he ran to his car.

Jocelyn whimpered and pulled herself closer to Vince. Vince placed Jocelyn in the passenger's seat and kissed her on the forehead before saying, "It's gonna be okay."


	13. 12: The Hospital

**Chapter Twelve**

"Where the hell is V?" Dom asked everyone in the garage.

The team had managed to buy the car from the Celica owner. Dom sent Vince over to get Jocelyn so that they could give her the car. That was over thirty minutes ago. The office phone ringing jarred Dom from his thoughts. He quickly jogged over to the phone and snatched in up. The office door was left open.

"Hello? Yeah, where the hell have you been? What? Why are you there? What?! Is she hurt badly? Uh huh...yeah...we'll be there as soon as we can."

Dom slammed the phone down and ran out of the office. He quickly grabbed his keys.

"Letty! We need to get to the hospital!" Dom screamed.

* * *

Vince sat in a chair out in the waiting room. The chair was extremely uncomfortable.

"Lila, when did that GSW come in?" one of the nurses called out.

"About twenty minutes ago," Lila replied.

"Do you know where the immediate family is?" the nurse asked.

Vince was about to reply when he saw the team coming through the front doors. He stood up and waited for them to come up to him. Letty looked like walking death, and everyone else didn't look much better.

"Where is she?" Letty asked. She was near tears.

"She's in surgery...The doctors are having trouble getting the bullet out."

"Oh God," Letty said. She covered her mouth with her hand, but it didn't hide the sob that she let out. Dom wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him.

"How-how many times was she shot?" Dom asked.

The sight of seeing Letty cry had disoriented him.

"Twice. One bullet grazed her left shoulder and the other hit her in her lower abdomen."

Letty began to sob harder.

"Who would do this?" Leon asked.

Letty wiped her tears away, the best she could.

"The same people who killed Carter," she replied.

Vince looked around at everyone. They all seemed to be thinking the same. '_They're after her again.'_

"That mean the cops will be around," Jesse pointed out.

"Shit, it does," Vince replied.

"Don't worry," Dom said. "We haven't done anything wrong...this time."

The team just kind of stood there until a doctor walked up to them.

"I need to see a relative of Jocelyn Rodriguez-Garcia."

"That would be me," Letty said as she stepped out of Dom's embrace.

"And you would be?"

"I'm her step-sister, Leticia Rodriguez."

"Ms. Rodriguez, I'm Dr. Jones. I operated on your sister earlier."

"How's she doing?" Letty asked. She could feel her hands shaking.

"She's doing remarkable well. The surgery was a success. The bullet missed all of her vital organs; however, she did lose a lot of blood. So for the next couple of weeks, she will need to rest. She shouldn't walk on her own or do any activities that require a lot of energy."

Letty nodded. "Exactly how long?"

"A week maybe two. It all depends on how well she's healing."

"When can I see her?" Letty asked.

"She's still asleep, but you can go in now, if you want. She's in C324"

Letty smiled. "Thank you so much, Dr. Jones."

"You're welcome. I'm just glad that I could be of service."

Letty said good-bye to the doctor and turned around to face the team.

"We'll wait for ya," Dom said.

Letty smiled and turned around. She slowly walked down the hall towards room C324. She had never been so scared in her life.


	14. 13: Arguments

****

**Chapter Thirteen**

Letty could hardly believe that the person lying in the bed was her sister. She looked different.

Jocelyn usually had this fragile look. When you were around her, you felt like you had to protect her from the big bad world. But now, the fragile look was magnified by ten. Letty immediately felt guilty.

'_I should have been there,'_ she thought.

Letty took another step into the room. She was very nervous. Nervous that Jocelyn would blame her as well.

"Letty," said a hoarse voice.

Letty looked up and saw Jocelyn looking at her.

"Oh, Joce," Letty said as she rushed to her side.

She immediately took Jocelyn's hand in her hand.

"I'm so sorry," Letty whispered. Tears started to fall down Letty's cheeks.

"Don't be," Jocelyn said. "You aren't responsible for what happened."

"But I could have prevented it," Letty argued.

"How?"

"I could have been with you. Or I could have made you come with me."

"Letty, if you had come with me, you would probably be in the bed next to me. And if I had gone with you, the man would have found another way to get me," Jocelyn said.

Letty shook her head. Tears dripped off her chin.

"I just...I don't want anything to happen to you. You're the only person who knows the real me. Dom doesn't even know and we've been together for close to 8 years. If I lost you, I don't know what I'd do."

"You're not gonna lose me, Letty. I'm here, aren't I? God obviously wants me around for a little while longer."

"Yeah, but for how long?" Letty asked.

"As long as it takes to serve out my purpose in life."

There was silence between the two.

"So I was thinking about starting up street-racing again," Jocelyn said with a smile. She was trying to lighten up the mood.

Letty's lips twisted into a small smile. She wiped away her tears before saying, "Absolutely not."

Jocelyn laughed. "Why not?"

"These guys proved that they mean business. They'll stop at no length to see you dead. Do you think that they'll think twice before tampering with your car? What happens when you race and midway through you realize that your brake line has been cut and you can't stop? I'm not gonna take the chances of losing you. From now on, you're gonna be in my sight at all times."

Jocelyn groaned. "You're treating me like I'm a five-year-old."

"Jocelyn, you were almost killed today. Why aren't you taking this seriously?"

"I am taking it seriously!"

"No you're not. You're treating this as if it were a big joke."

"Letty, I understand the seriousness of what happened today. In case you haven't noticed, I'm the one in the hospital bed. I'm the one who almost lost her life. I'm the one who knew what I was getting into when I started to date Carter..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"When we started dating, Carter warned me that there was a slight possibility that there would be threats made against my life. And if I was ever threatened, then I was to tell him or Jared."

"And you still dated him?" Letty asked in horror.

"I loved him, Let. You of all people should know that a person will do anything for love."

"What are you talking about?" Letty asked.

"I'm talking about the trucks, Letty. I know about the trucks," Jocelyn replied.

"How?"

"I had him keep watch on you. Just like I know you had Jesse checking up on me every now and then."

Letty sat down in the chair next to the bed. Silence quickly filled the room.

"I'm sorry," Letty mumbled.

"For what?" Jocelyn asked.

"For giving you the third degree. For making such a big deal about everything..."

"Letty, I-I understand why you're doing it. I really do, but you can't always be there to protect me. I'm a big girl. I can tie my shoes and I know how to drive. It's about time you start treating me like one and not some porcelain doll that you're afraid to break. You can't soften the world up for me. Living in Atlanta taught me that the world isn't some big flower-picking, lollypop sucking place. There are trials and tribulations that everyone has to go through. You can't keep me from the world, Let."

Letty nodded.

"I know. Trust me, I know...I just...it's just...hell, I don't know. I don't want to lose you again, and if it weren't for V, then I would have today."

Jocelyn tried to sit up, but winced when pain shot through her abdomen. Letty jumped up from the chair.

"I'm fine," Jocelyn replied.

"No you're not. I'm gonna get someone in here."

Letty turned to go out of the room.

"Letty!" Jocelyn said sternly.

Letty turned around and looked Jocelyn in the eyes.

"I'm fine," Jocelyn said. Her voice dramatically softened.

"You don't look fine," a voice said from the doorway.

Both girls looked over and saw Vince standing in the doorway.

Jocelyn laughed whole-heartedly. "Trust me; this is one of my better days."

Letty and Vince both frowned.

"Jeez, guys. Lighten up."

"Why does it seem like we're the only ones taking this seriously?" Letty asked.

Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "Not this again," she mumbled.

"Jocelyn, I'm concerned about you. These people are trying to kill you, and you're acting like it's a normal day," Letty replied.

"You wanna know why?" Jocelyn said. Her voice was filled with anger.

Letty was a little taken aback.

"W-why?"

"Because this is a normal day for me. Maybe not the getting shot part, but the fear and having to look over your shoulder constantly is a daily routine for me. I've been through more shit than most of the people in this hospital. I think I deserve just a moment or two to be happy. I'm alive, and that's all I care about right now. When I get out of here, then I start thinking about the 'what-ifs'. But right now, Letty, right now I just want to take a break from it all. I just want to sit here and be thankful for everything good that's happened in my life. I want to forget about my mom and her shit, forget about the people coming after me. I want to forget about Carter, just for a moment. Can you let it go for now? Can you do that for me, Letty? Can you let me have my moment of immaturity? Will you just forget today's events for now, please?"

Jocelyn's speech ended up sounding harsher than she meant it to. Letty looked at Jocelyn for a moment or two before storming out of the room.

"This just isn't my day," Jocelyn moaned as she laid back in the bed.

Vince walked up to the bed and sat in the chair that Letty had been sitting in. He took her hand in his and ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"It'll get better, I promise."

Jocelyn rolled her eyes.

"I've been telling myself for years, V. It's yet to happen."

Vince kissed her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles again.

"I know. Why don't you get some rest? You look horrible."

Jocelyn laughed and slowly her eyes started to sparkle. Vince let go of her hand and kissed her lightly on her forehead.

"I'll come back later, a'ight?"

Jocelyn nodded and closed her eyes.

"Sweet dreams," Vince said lowly as he walked out of the room.

He froze in the doorway and asked himself, _'Did I just say that?'_

Vince then realized that the 'ol Coyote was starting to die away. However, I didn't instill as much fear in him like he thought it would. A part of him was almost happy. A part.


	15. 14: Lorenzo Montiga

****

**_Chapter Fourteen_**

Lorenzo Montiga propped his feet up on his desk and leaned back in his chair. He stared at the interior of his office. His feet were sitting on a huge mahogany desk covered in papers. The room had a very warm feeling despite the cold hearted men who sat in it.

"Send him in," he said softly to the man beside the door.

The man was Sean Wilkins, Montiga's trusted henchman. Sean nodded and opened the door. Montiga watched as he motioned to someone. Seconds later, a nervous looking gentleman entered the room.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Mr. Montiga...it wasn't my fault. One of her friends showed up..."

Montiga motioned for the man to stop talking.

"So what you're saying is that she's still living?"

The man nodded slowly.

"Calm down, George. Everything's okay."

George looked relieved. Montiga stood up from his chair and walked around his desk. His hand grazed the end of a letter opener. He took it in his hand and began to examine it. George eyed the letter opener with caution.

"You see, George. I don't get angry when I hire a person to do a job and they fail. I just simply..."

Montiga paused and moved closer to George. He gripped the handle of the letter opener and shoved it into George's abdomen.

"...kill them and hire somebody else to do it."

Montiga pulled the letter opener out of George's stomach and watched with an amused look as George collapsed onto the ground. He then motioned to Sean before saying, "See to it that he's taken care off."

Sean nodded before grabbing onto George's arms and pulling him out of the room. Montiga took the handkerchief from his vest pocket and wiped the blood off the letter opener. He then laid it neatly back in its spot.

Montiga walked back around in his desk and reclined in his chair. He pressed a button that allowed him to talk to his secretary.

"Yes, Mr. Montiga," a female voice said.

"Maria, will you send in Plan B?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, sir."

Seconds later, Montiga heard the sound of someone in high heels walking toward his office. The door opened slowly and in walked what Lorenzo like to call _Plan B._

His eyes dropped down to her shoes and he slowly worked his way up. White high heels were a dramatic contrast to the woman's bronze skin. Her legs were long and gorgeous. She was wearing a very short white skirt. Her blonde hair rested on her shoulder, and the red tips stood out against the white shirt she was wearing. Her outfit was professional, but left nothing to the imagination. Piercing green eyes met Montiga's brown ones and he smirked.

"Hello, Sandra."

* * *

"Aw, come on, V. When the doctor said two weeks bed rest, he didn't really mean two weeks bed rest."

Vince chuckled and sat down on the bed next to Jocelyn. She was sitting up in her bed pleading with him to let her out of the room.

"Please, Vince. Don't make me stay in here. I'll go insane."

"I'm sorry. Do you realize how much trouble I'd be in if I were to let you out of this room? Letty would kill me."

Jocelyn rolled her eyes and laid back in the bed.

"There are only so many hours a human can lie in bed. I'm way past my limit."

Vince ruffled her hair and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Tough. The doctor said that you need to rest and that's exactly what you're going to do."

Jocelyn groaned and grabbed the remote to the television. Vince started to walk out of the room.

"I'll be down stairs if you need anything."

Vince walked out of the room and shut the door. The sound of something hitting the door echoed into the hallway.

"Hey, V!" Jocelyn called out.

Vince opened the door and found the remote laying on the floor right inside the doorway.

"Could you hand that to me?" she asked sheepishly.

"You really don't want to be alone," Vince said as he picked up the remote.

He looked up and saw Jocelyn shaking her head no. Vince smiled and walked over to her.

"I tell ya what," he said as he handed her the remote. "I'll stay with you for an hour or so, but after that, I got to get to work."

"You mean that you're going to leave me in this house by myself?" Jocelyn practically shrieked.

"No, Jesse will be downstairs."

Jocelyn looked slightly relieved as she scooted over. Vince took off his shoes and climbed into the bed next to her.

"So, what shall we watch?" Jocelyn asked.

Vince noted the perkiness in her voice.

"Oh, oh, I know. Soaps!"

Vince groaned and pulled the covers over his head. The sound of Jocelyn giggling filled his ears. He immediately decided that he liked the sound of her giggling and wanted to hear it more often.

* * *

Dom, Letty, Leon, Brian, and Mia walked into the house and found Jesse sitting on the couch channel surfing.

"Hey Jesse," Mia said as she sat down next to him.

"Have you seen V?" Dom asked before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Nah, why?" Jesse asked before turning off the television.

Dom re-entered the living room with a Corona in his hand. He opened it and took a sip.

"He was supposed to work today. I was just wondering why we were one man short."

Jesse nodded. "Last time I saw him, he was trying to convince Joce to stay in her room."

Letty chuckled and began to walk up the stairs. The rest of the team was right behind her. As they neared Jocelyn's door, Letty motioned for them to be quiet. Everyone nodded. The sound of a TV could be heard outside the door. Letty opened the door slowly and smiled at what she saw. The rest of the team peeked over her shoulder. Inside, Jocelyn and Vince were asleep. They were on their sides. Vince had an arm wrapped protectively over Jocelyn's waist.

"Come on," Dom said softly before shutting the door.

Everyone walked down the stairs. Dom and Letty were the last ones down.

"Maybe the 'ol Coyote isn't so bad," Letty said with a smile.

Dom slung an arm over Letty's shoulders and said, "See. I told you."

"Yeah, yeah," Letty replied as she playfully shoved Dom.

* * *

"That's all you want me to do?" Sandra asked.

Montiga nodded. "How soon do you think you can kill her?"

Sandra sat back in her chair and looked like she was deep in thought.

"Well, with the way you want it done, it'll take two to three weeks."

Montiga nodded.

"Good. That's very good. I do trust that you will be successful in completing this...task."

Sandra smiled. "But of course."

"All right," Lorenzo said as he clasped his hands together. "You have me sold. You start tomorrow."

Sandra smiled and stood up. She walked over to the door. Montiga noticed a definite sway in her hips.

"Oh, Sandra," Montiga called out.

Sandra stopped and turned around. She watched as Montiga stood up from his chair and walked over to her. Her eyes raked over his figure. He was 6" tall maybe taller and had wavy brown hair down to his shoulders. His eyes were chocolate brown. He had a mustache and a goatee.

"Yes?" she asked curiously.

Montiga quickly closed the gap between them and placed his hands right below her butt. Sandra placed her hands on his and slowly moved them up her skirt. Montiga kissed her jaw and slowly made his way to her shoulders.

"You know," she said huskily. "I normally don't get friendly with the boss until after the task in complete."

Montiga smirked and moved his hands up her skirt further. He pressed closer to her and smiled when she gasped.

"Can you make an exception this time?" he said.

Sandra wrapped her arms around his neck and said into his ear, "There are always exceptions."

* * *

Jocelyn woke up and glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand.

"Ugh...it's 3 AM," she groaned.

A laugh filled the room. Jocelyn rolled over and found blue eyes looking at her.

"I thought you had to go to work," Jocelyn said.

Vince smiled. "Yeah, well, I got a little sidetracked."

Jocelyn blushed and laid her forehead on his chest.

"Ya know, this is the first time that I have actually felt safe since..."

Vince ran a hand through Jocelyn's hair.

"You deserve to feel safe. And don't worry, I'll make sure that the man who tried to kill you doesn't live to see another day."

Jocelyn sighed. "I don't want you to kill anyone, V."

Vince looked into her eyes. "We both know that whoever came after you won't stop, and the only other choice is for you to leave. I don't know about you, but I don't want that to happen."

Jocelyn smiled.

"I'm gonna go downstairs and get us some food," Vince said as he climbed out of the bed. Jocelyn immediately missed the feeling of his arm around her.

"Be right back," he called over his shoulder as he exited the room.

Jocelyn rolled on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She sighed.

"Carter," she said out loud. "I don't know if I can do it anymore. I've tried so hard to be strong, but it's just so hard. I know he'll come after me again. It's just a matter of time. I can't help but think that...that it'd be simpler if I just went ahead and got it over with. I mean, that's what they want, right? I'm afraid that someone other than me is going to get hurt...Carter, I miss you so much..."

Jocelyn stopped talking when she began to cry.

'_Please Carter,'_ she begged silently. _'Help me get through this.'_

* * *

Vince leaned against the wall outside Jocelyn's room. He had heard her talking.

'_She still loves him,'_ he told himself. _'How can I compete with a dead man?'_

'_She needs you, though.'_

'_How?'_

'_She needs someone to lean on. You have to be that person. She needs you to be strong for her.'_

Vince sighed and began to walk down the stairs. He prayed that Jocelyn wouldn't do anything drastic in future. And if she did, that he would be able to stop her.


	16. 15: Time

**Chapter Fifteen**

Jocelyn moaned slightly as she rolled onto her side. She opened her eyes and groaned when the sun blinded her.

"Damn sun," she said groggily before closing her eyes again.

A knock on the door stopped Jocelyn from falling back asleep.

"Come in," she mumbled.

Vince walked in with a box in his hands.

"Mornin' sleepy head," he said perkily.

"Morning," Jocelyn replied, snuggling closer to her pillow.

"You got a package," Vince said as he sat beside her on the bed.

Jocelyn sat up slowly and wiped the sleep for her eyes.

"Who's it from?" she asked.

"Don't know. There's no return address."

Jocelyn raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe it's from Mom," she wondered aloud.

She opened the box slowly and found a single rose lying amongst balled up newspaper.

"A rose, eh? You got a boyfriend that you're not telling me about?" V asked jokingly.

He laughed a little but stopped when he saw Jocelyn's hands shaking.

"What's wrong?"

Jocelyn took a piece of newspaper out of the box and unfolded it. The title read, 'APD Cop Killed in Mysterious Bombing.'

Vince grabbed the box and the newspaper from Jocelyn and sat it on the floor. All of the color had drained from her face and her whole body was shaking.

Vince took Jocelyn in his arms. Almost immediately, she began to sob.

"Why won't they leave me alone?" she asked in a whispered voice.

Vince hugged her tighter.

"I'll make sure they leave you alone, I promise. They're gonna wish that they never fucked with you."

* * *

"Hey, V. What's up man?" Jesse asked as Vince walked into the kitchen.

The whole team was in the kitchen eating breakfast and talking.

"Nothing man. Just some sick fuck sending shit to Jocelyn, that's all," Vince said. He threw the box onto the table and began to pace. He was beyond pissed. Vince felt like ripping the sender apart. The only problem was that he had no idea who in the hell he was up against.

"What'd they send?" Letty asked worriedly.

"It's just a rose," Leon replied once he looked into the box.

"It's not the rose, Leon. It's the newspapers under them. They're all about that cop," Vince spat.

"Carter?" Letty asked.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"How is she?" Dom asked.

"She's asleep now. She was pretty shook up. Can't these sick fucks leave her alone? Hell, she's been through more than all of us. The trucks weren't even this bad. At least we knew who to look out for. She has no idea who's sending this shit or who to stay away from."

"V, calm down man," Brian said. "I'll get some friends of mine to get all the information from Atlanta and send it over here. We'll find this guy."

"Brian, that does us no good. We need to know who it is now or this guy is just gonna keep fucking with us."

"Hey," Dom said. "I realize that you're upset. We all are, okay? Just calm down. The important thing is that she's safe right now. We have to start from square one and narrow down the suspects. We know that the guy who's doing this is involved with a mob of some sort. Brian, can you get the information on the case that Carter was working on?"

"Sure thing, man," Brian said as he wrapped his arms around Mia's waist.

"All right. Jesse, I want you to find out anything you can on Jocelyn. —Letty, I know she's your sister, but I don't always tell my sister everything. Maybe she's run into this guy before and just not have known it. Vince and Letty, I need you guys to just be there for her, all right? We need to have someone with her at all times. She is to never be alone."

"She's not gonna like that," Letty replied.

"I know she's not," Dom said. "But she's gone have to deal with it. We are doing this for her own good. Besides, she doesn't have to know that there's someone watching her. Just make sure that she's never alone."

The team agreed and continued on with their normal activities. Vince grabbed a glass of orange juice and took it up to Jocelyn. When he opened the door to her room, he found her sitting up in bed staring out the window.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Vince said and walked up to her. "Here, I thought you might want something to drink."

"Thank you," Jocelyn replied. She took a sip of the drink and continued staring out the window.

Vince stood up to leave but stopped once Jocelyn began speaking.

"You know, it's funny. You can never out run your past. No matter how fast you run or how far, it always comes back and bites you in the ass."

Vince sat on the bed. Jocelyn looked down at her hands and began to pick at the maroon finger nail polish on her nails.

"Sometimes...sometimes, I just wish that I had never met him. Life would have been so much simpler, you know? But then I realized that I wouldn't be the person that I am today...I'm sorry, I shouldn't be talking about this. I just need to let it go."

"It's all right," Vince said. "I know how hard it is to just forget about someone and stop loving them. It just takes time."

"Time," Jocelyn said as she flopped back onto her pillow. "I'm so sick of time."

"Aren't we all," Vince said, sighing.


	17. 16: A Day At The Beach

****

**Chapter Sixteen**

The next morning, Jocelyn sat in her bed staring at her ceiling. A knock on her door brought her out of her own little world. Vince poked his head into the room.

"You want something to eat?" he asked.

Jocelyn laid back down and pulled the sheets up around her shoulders.

"No, I'm fine."

"Jocelyn, the last thing you had was that glass of orange juice I brought you up yesterday, and you only took a sip out of that. You should really try eating something."

"What do you care?" Jocelyn spat.

Vince clenched his jaw and sat the food he had brought up for her on the bed.

"Fine, if you don't want to eat that's your problem, but you don't have to be a bitch to people who are trying to help you."

He walked out of the room and slammed the door. Jocelyn frowned and pulled the sheets over her head.

* * *

"I don't get your sister," Vince said as he plopped onto the couch.

Letty laughed and threw a pillow at Vince.

"You'll never be able to understand her."

Vince shoved a hand through his hair.

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with her. I go up there, trying to be nice, which is really hard for me, and she's a complete bitch."

Letty tried to suppress a smile.

"She's going through a lot right now. Just give her a couple of days."

"But I was trying to help."

"I know that, V, and she knows that. Jocelyn has never been one to accept help. She thinks that she can do it all by herself, but she can't," Letty said sadly.

"Why don't you say something to her or try to help?"

"I have tried everything, but she's too damn stubborn. I swear she's the female version of you when it comes to stubbornness."

"Hey, I resent that," Vince replied.

"But you know it's true," Letty said with a small smile.

Vince picked up the pillow that Letty had thrown at him earlier and threw it back.

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Jocelyn slipped out of her room to go to the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked from the top of the stairs.

Jocelyn clamped a hand over her mouth to stop from screaming.

"Dom, you scared the shit out of me," she replied.

He smirked and walked closer to her. "You didn't answer my question."

"I was going to the bathroom."

Dom stood next to Jocelyn and said, "I thought you were supposed to be on bed rest for two weeks."

She frowned and began to walk back into her room.

"What the hell am I supposed to do? Pee on myself?" she mumbled.

Dom laughed and put his hand on her good shoulder.

"Wanna go for a ride?" he asked.

Jocelyn looked at him and smiled. "Where's everybody else?" she asked, cautiously.

"Everybody is out except for V; he's asleep on the couch."

"You promise you won't tell on me?" she asked.

Dom laughed. "I'm the one taking you remember?"

Jocelyn smiled. "I feel like a five-year-old trying to steal cookies out of the cookie jar," she said as they both began to walk down stairs.

Dom motioned for her to be quiet. They both crept down to the bottom of the stairs. Jocelyn stepped in front of Dom and placed her hand on the door knob. Dom stopped her when Vince shifted on the couch. The two of them watched Vince closely.

"Coast is clear," Dom whispered once Vince didn't move again.

Jocelyn nodded and opened the door slowly. They both slipped out of the house and walked over to Dom's car.

"I haven't snuck out of a house since I was seventeen...I seriously thought V was going to wake up."

Dom laughed as he opened the driver's door. Once they were both inside, Dom started his car and pulled out. "Where to, Princess?"

Jocelyn shrugged. "I don't know. It just feels so good to be out of the house. Take me anywhere."

Dom nodded. "I know where we can go."

* * *

Letty walked into the house about an hour later.

"Wake up, V. It's almost three." Letty passed him and walked into the kitchen.

Vince growled and flipped Letty off. He sat up on the couch and peered around the room. Needless to say, he wasn't happy about waking up.

"Go check on your girl, V," Letty said called from the kitchen. She grabbed a Corona and walked back into the living.

"She's not my girl," Vince replied as he began to walk up the stairs.

Letty laughed and sat down on the couch. She turned on the TV and began to flip through the channels. _'Where's Dom?' _she thought, but didn't have time to worry about it because a noise from upstairs distracted her.

"Vince, what the hell is going on up there?" Letty said as she walked to the base of the stairs.

Vince came out of Jocelyn's room holding his hand, which was bleeding.

"What the hell did you do to your hand?"

"She's gone," he screamed. Letty could see the rage in his eyes. She backed up.

"What do you mean she's gone?"

"I mean she's not fucking there, Letty. She's not in her room. She fucking disappeared. You understand what I'm saying?" Vince spat.

Letty raised her arms in surrender.

"I get your point, but where the hell could she have gone? You were supposed to be watching her."

Vince shoved a hand through his hair. "Fuck."

Letty yanked up her cell phone and dialed Leon's number.

"Maybe she called up Leon or somebody and they went somewhere," she said to a pacing Vince.

Her heart was beating a mile a minute. _'Where the hell are you Joce?'_

"Hey Leon, have you seen Joce...no...damnit, has Jesse or Mia? Fuck. No...she's not here, Leon...I have no clue...Yeah, give me a call if you hear anything...bye."

"They haven't seen her."

"What about Dom?" Vince asked. "He was here when I fell asleep."

"I'm going to kick his ass," Letty mumbled as she dialed Dom's number.

* * *

"Phone's ringing," Jocelyn said to Dom as she picked up his cell phone.

"Who is it?"

Jocelyn's eyes glanced over the Called ID.

"Ick," she said, scrunching up her nose. "It's Letty. I wouldn't answer it if I were you."

She handed the phone over to Dom, who turned it off. Jocelyn laughed.

"You know you're going to get your ass kicked when you get home."

"No, I'm not," Dom said, confidently. "Here we are."

Jocelyn smiled as she looked at her surroundings. Dom had taken her to the same beach that Vince had taken her to a couple of days before.

"Vince told me that he had taken you here," Dom explained. "I just wanted to remind you of happier times."

Jocelyn smiled. "Thank you, Dom," she said giving him a hug.

"Come on."

Dom opened the door to the RX-7 and slipped out of it. Jocelyn followed suit.

"Man, this place is beautiful," Jocelyn said.

Dom smiled. _'I may get my ass kicked when I get home,'_ he thought. _'But this is all that matters. She's happy.'_

Jocelyn walked slowly down to the beach and took her shoes off. It was now that Dom noticed the sling on her arms and the slight limp she had from the stitches in her abdomen.

"What all did they have to do at the hospital?" Dom asked as he appeared at her side.

Jocelyn sat her shoes on the ground and walked to the water line. She wiggled her toes in the sand.

"They, uh, had to put eight stitches in my shoulder and ten in my abdomen. They also bandaged them and gave me a sling, but I haven't worn it until today. It was just getting on my nerves, but this morning it just hurt so I figured that I better put it back on. Plus they gave me some pain meds, but I don't take 'em when Letty gives them to me. They make me feel funny."

Dom nodded and smiled slightly as he watched her play in the sand with her feet.

"I feel like a five-year-old," she said, giggling.

Dom knew then that he had done the right thing. Jocelyn was getting depressed up in her room. She needed to be outside in the sun. She needed to be rescued.

"So tell me about your family," he said as they both began to walk along the beach. Dom shoved his hands into his pockets and waited patiently for Jocelyn to respond.

"Well in order to understand my family, you have to understand how my last names come into play. My mom's name is Cheryl Garcia, so that's where the Garcia part comes into my name, and my father's name is Marc Rodriguez. When my parents divorced, I took my mom's maiden name. So my name now is Jocelyn Marie Rodriguez-Garcia."

"Ah, I see."

"Now we get to the interesting stuff," Jocelyn said with a small smile. "When my mom was nineteen, she went to New York to pursue an acting career. It was there that she must some hot shot lawyer by the name of Daniel Varrick. Daniel took my mom under his wing and they married three months later. The marriage started to crumble almost immediately after the honeymoon. About half way through the first year, Mom found out that she was pregnant. Nine months later she had a boy, whom she named Chris.

"A couple of months later, Daniel filed for divorce and custody of Chris. Since Mom's acting career wasn't doing too well, she was forced to start working at a small diner. Needless to say, Daniel won custody because it was better for Chris to grow up with a rich single dad than a poor single mom, you know what I mean? Mom was devastated and began to drink away her sorrows and money at the local bars. It was at one of those bars that she met my father, who had been stood up by his date.

"Well, my mom and my dad hooked up that night and ended up getting married a year later. Dad managed to convince Mom to move to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where most of her family lived. Three years later, I was born and a year later my brother, Jacob was born. Things were going great up until the summer I turned 8. Jacob ended up dying from cancer of some sort, my parents never really went into detail about how sick he was because it always upset me. Also, my dad's an architect and a guy from LA saw some projects that he had worked on and really liked them. He hired him to do a project out here that would take 4-6 months minimum. I'm not even exactly sure what he was to do, but it required him to move out there. Dad didn't want to pull me from a school that I had been going to since Kindergarten only to have me come back the next year, so he moved out to LA by himself.

"When Spring Break rolled around, my mom planned a trip out to LA to visit my father. She didn't say anything to him because she wanted it to be a surprise. We arrived at his house and found that he was living with another woman and her daughter. Dad claimed that he was just being a nice guy and letting her live there. My mom may have been a drunk, but she was no fool. She left LA and never looked back. They divorced later that year."

"That was Letty's mom, right?" Dom asked.

Jocelyn nodded. "You know, I wasn't mad at Samantha. Mom tried to get me to hate her, but I couldn't. I didn't blame her for the divorce. I blamed my dad. You see, my mom has always had a problem with drinking, but when she was with Dad, it was under control. However, when dad left, she started drinking again. It got so bad that I had to live with Chris and Daniel for over a year while she went through rehab."

"Why not live with your dad or your relatives down there?"

"My mom's family had disowned her by that time, and I was still mad at my dad."

"How come I've never met you before? I mean I've known Letty almost all of her life and I know your dad. But I've only heard them speak of you maybe once or twice," he said.

Jocelyn sighed and dragged her feet in the sand. "That was my fault. I really didn't want anything to do with my dad or LA for the longest time. I came out here one school year when I was 16, I think Letty was 18, and we hung out every morning before she went to school. I was home schooled. We used to eat breakfast at the old mom and pop restaurant. That was the year we got really close. By the end of the year, it was like we had grown up together and it's been that way since. When I got home, I found out that my mom had tried to overdose on sleeping pills. She did it because she thought I was trying to leave her. After that, I never left Baton Rouge. Letty and Chris visited on holidays, but I refused to leave because I thought that she might try to kill herself again."

"So Letty is your step-sister and Chris is your..."

"Half brother, but we don't see it that way. Letty is my sister, Samantha is my mom, and Chris is my brother. Hell Letty and Chris act like brother and sister, and they're not even related."

Dom nodded. "Where does Chris live?"

"Chris lives up in New York. The last I heard, he was a stock broker for some firm. He supposed to visit me sometime at the end of the year."

"So what does Daniel think? I mean has he tried to help your mom in anyway?"

"He sends money out every month, but she spends it on booze. She's been in and out of rehab for years. I can't tell you how many DUIs she's had. The day of my high school graduation, she was arrested for being drunk and disorderly in public. When it came time for college, I left. I just couldn't deal with it anymore, and that was when I met Carter...As for what Daniel thinks, he loves me like a daughter. It's like I have two dads and two moms, really."

"Well what about your real dad? How are you guys now?"

"We're fine now. I finally forgave him and things have been peachy since...You know, I think this is the first time I've told anyone about my family."

Dom smiled. "I just thought you needed someone to talk to. Plus it might be good for me to have someone to talk to while Letty is pissed at me."

Jocelyn laughed. "Yeah, you're going to need some help there. I've been on the receiving end of her bitching several times; it's not a walk in the park."

* * *

Letty clenched her jaw as she sat her phone down.

"She's with him."

"How do you know?" Vince asked as he stopped pacing.

"His phone's off. His phone is never off unless he's doing something he's not supposed to be doing."

Vince shook his head. "That bastard."

"She had doctor's orders to stay in bed. What the hell would posses her to just leave with Dom? I mean her stitches could get ripped out or something. Worse, she could get hurt again. Sometimes I think she has a death wish," Letty seethed.

Vince sighed and plopped onto the couch. "Either that or he does," he replied.


	18. 17: Back to the Hospital

****

**Chapter Seventeen**

Dom and Jocelyn pulled up to the house around 5 p.m. Everyone was home.

"Let me go in first and calm things down," Dom said as they approached the door.

Jocelyn nodded and felt her heart rate speed up. She stayed very close to Dom. She wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts while Dom knocked on the door. Dom motioned for Jocelyn to step behind him. She did as she was told. The door opened slowly and Vince's body filled the doorway.

"You fucker," Jocelyn heard Vince say before punching Dom in the jaw.

The punch caused Dom to lose his balance and knock over Jocelyn. She howled in pain as she hit the ground.

"Shit," Dom said as he whirled around and knelt down beside her.

Tears began to stream down Jocelyn's cheeks.

"I think my stitches ripped," she whispered as she clutched to her stomach.

Vince ran up to her and brushed her hair out of her eyes. He lifted up her shirt to where her abdomen was exposed. Little spots of red began to peek through the bandages that covered her stitches.

"Yeah, I think you did too," he said softly.

Letty stepped outside after hearing all the commotion.

"Jocelyn, are you okay?" she asked in a panicked voice.

"She ripped her stitches out," Vince said as he picked her up. "We got to take her back to the hospital to get them put back in."

"I'm sorry, Jocelyn. I didn't mean to knock you over," Dom said.

Jocelyn shook her head. "It was my fault," she said while wiping at her tears.

"No it's not, baby," Vince replied as he took her over to his car. "It's my fault. I didn't know you were behind him."

Vince sat her in the car and ran over to his side of the car.

"I'll take her over there," he said before climbing into his car.

Letty nodded and motioned for Dom to go inside. Dom clenched his jaw and began to walk into the house. He had initially thought taking Jocelyn out was a good idea, now he wasn't so sure.

"Dom..." Letty said, getting his attention.

'_Oh shit, here it comes,'_ he thought.

* * *

Vince sat in the waiting room while Dr. Jones finished putting in her stitches. He watched the clock intently.

"Mr. Catelloni?" Dr. Jones asked as he entered the waiting room.

Vince stood up and walked over to him.

"How's she doing?" Vince asked.

"She's doing fine. We replaced the stitches without any problems; however, you have to promise me that this time she will not leave her room. Walking aggravates the skin around the stitches. How did they get ripped out in the first place?"

"She fell down," he replied.

Dr. Jones nodded slowly. "Well, she's bandaged up, but I don't want her walking at all. I don't want to take any chances of them getting ripped out a second time."

"Gotcha. Does she know all this?"

Dr. Jones smiled. "Yes she does, and she's not very happy about it."

"I didn't expect her to be," Vince replied with a smile.

"She's free to go," Dr. Jones said, patting Vince on the back. "Take good care of her, I don't want to have to see her again."

Vince nodded and walked into the room in which Jocelyn was in. A nurse was helping her put her shirt back on. Vince racked his eyes over Jocelyn's torso. He could feel his heart rate begin to pick up. Vince dropped his eyes to the ground and stood silently.

"You ready to go?" he asked once the nurse had finished.

Jocelyn smiled. "You bet I am. I hate this place."

"Yeah, well I'm not exactly its biggest fan either. I was in it for three weeks and Jesse was in it for close to a year."

Jocelyn shivered. "I couldn't do it. I would have died."

"We almost did," Vince replied lowly.

Jocelyn frowned. "I'm sorry, V. I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright," he said. "It's over with."

The nurse helped Jocelyn into a wheel chair and walked with Vince out to his car.

"You really don't need to do this," she said as V picked her up and sat her in the passenger's seat.

"Doctor's orders."

Jocelyn groaned and put her head on the head rest.

* * *

"Just what the hell were you thinking? Taking Jocelyn from the house?" Letty asked.

Dom shook his head.

"She was miserable in there Letty. You should have seen her. I felt bad for her."

"Feeling bad for her and kidnapping her is two different things."

"I did not kidnap her, Letty. She went with me on her own free will. I just merely offered to take her anywhere she wanted to go," he replied as he sat down on the couch. He ran one of his hands over his clean-shaven head.

"You shouldn't have done that. What if someone had tried to hurt her?"

"The point is that they didn't Letty. The only person that hurt her was me and that was because I knocked her over. And may I remind you that that didn't happen until we got home."

Letty clenched her jaw.

"Don't be a smart ass, Dominic."

"I'm not being a smart ass, Letty. I'm telling you the truth. You know as well as I do that if Vince hadn't of punched me then I wouldn't have knocked her over."

"You're right, but still..."

"But nothing, Letty. Just let it go. I took her out so that she wouldn't die of boredom. There are only so many hours that you can sit around watching TV. Her room is like a fucking cave. It's cold and dark. I don't see how she can stand it."

Letty sat on the couch next to Dom.

"I just don't know what to do. I mean I'm following doctor's orders, or I was up until today. I'm giving her pain meds when she needs them and I'm keeping her in bed, but it's like she resents me for it. She's talked to Vince and you more than she has to me in the last couple of days. Hell she's been her for about a week and she's already been to the hospital twice."

Dom wrapped an arm around Letty and pulled her close to him.

"You can only do so much. We just have to take this one day at a time and make sure that there are no opportunities for her to get hurt again."

Letty nodded. "Promise me you won't pull a stunt like that again."

Dom laughed. "I promise."

"Good. I'll go get you something for that," she replied as she motioned to Dom's jaw, which was already turning shades of blue and black.

* * *

Vince carried Jocelyn into the house and up the stairs.

"I hate this," she said, groaning.

Vince chuckled. "I know you do, Princess."

He opened the door to Jocelyn's room and turned on the light. As he sat her on the bed, he said, "Do you want me to get you a change of clothes?"

Jocelyn nodded. "But either you're going to have to help me change or get Letty to help me."

"Why's that?" Vince asked as he opened up her closet. He was intentionally playing dumb.

"Hello...I have a sling on and stitches."

Vince laughed. "I know, I was just playing with ya. What do you want to wear?" he asked, afraid to touch anything.

"Um...grab that black halter and there is a white skirt in the back."

"You want to wear a skirt?" Vince asked. He turned around and looked at her.

"It'll be easier to put on. Plus I want to look decent for dinner."

"What do you mean?"

Vince reached into her closet and grabbed the articles of clothing that she wanted.

"I want to eat with y'all."

"Jocelyn..."

"Please don't make me eat up here by myself," she begged. "You can carry me down there and carry me back up. I just can't be in here alone anymore. I'll die if I do."

Vince sighed and sat on the bed next to Jocelyn.

"I'll talk to Letty about it, but I'm not promising anything."

Jocelyn smiled. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. So how do you want to do this?" he said, motioning to the clothes in his hand.

Jocelyn bit her lip. "I'm going to have to take the sling off. Then you're going to gently take my shirt off and slip my other one on."

Vince's heart sped up. This would probably be the only time that he would undress a woman and not be able to sleep with her.

'_Calm down, Coyote. You can do this. Just pretend it's not her.'_

He watched as she slowly slipped her arm out of the sling.

"All right," she said.

Vince turned to her and took the bottom of her shirt in his hands. He lifted it slowly.

"Lift your arms up, Princess," he said softly.

He didn't notice the endearment slip out, but Jocelyn did. That was the third time she had been called that in one day. Part of her was happy that Vince was calling her that, but part was getting angry. Princess brought to mind a helpless beauty that needed her knight in shinning armor to save her. Jocelyn was certainly not helpless. She could do things on her own and she didn't like people thinking she couldn't.

Slowly Jocelyn did as she was instructed. Vince slipped the shirt off and threw it onto the floor. He couldn't stop his eyes from raking over her body once again. Her slightly tan skin just begged to be touched. Vince clenched his jaw to keep himself from touching her.

"Vince, my shirt..." Jocelyn said.

Vince nodded and slipped the halter top over her arms. As he pulled the shirt down, his hand brushed against her bra.

"Vince?"

Vince looked up from Jocelyn's chest.

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me," she whispered.

He didn't have to be told twice. His lips crashed onto hers within seconds. Jocelyn was surprised at the intensity of the kiss, but wasted no time in responding. Vince wrapped arms around her waist, but stopped kissing her when she hissed in pain.

"My stitches."

Vince removed his arms from her waist.

"Sorry," he said with a sheepish grin.

"It's okay. It's good that we stopped anyway," she replied.

Vince was confused by this statement.

"What do you mean by that? You were the one who asked me to kiss you."

Jocelyn nodded. "I know, but I'm hurt and at the rate we were going..."

Vince chuckled. "I see your point...Do you still want me to help you put this skirt on?"

"Uh, no that's okay," she replied as she slipped her sling back on. "I'll just wear what I'm wearing."

Vince looked at the denim shorts that she had on. "All right."

The room filled with silence.

"Hey, V?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened to my wall?" she asked as she peered at a hole in the wall above the TV.

"I got pissed off when I saw that you weren't here and punched the wall."

"Is your hand okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's fine. I cleaned it up earlier...I'm going to go downstairs and talk to Letty about dinner. All right?"

"Okay."

Vince watched as Jocelyn grabbed her remote and began to channel surf. He exited the room and shut the door behind him. As he walked down the stairs, he thought, _'Shit that was close. Another minute or two and I might not have been able to stop...'_


	19. 18: Sweet Dreams, Princess

Chapter Eighteen

"Absolutely not," Letty said to Vince. He had just asked her if Jocelyn could eat downstairs.

"Aw, come on Letty. You can't expect her to eat up there by herself," Vince said in return.

"She won't be eating by herself. You'll be eating with her," she said as she shoved a plate into Vince's hands.

"This is bullshit. She's miserable up there."

"And there's nothing I can do about it. Doctor's orders remember. You were the one who got pissed off when Dom tried to help her and now you want to disobey them, too?"

Mia walked into the kitchen and frowned. "We can here you two outside. Mind tuning it down?"

Vince sat the plate on the counter and walked out of the kitchen. When he reached Jocelyn's door, he cracked the door open. He found her sleeping on her back. She had pulled her hair up into a sloppy pony tail and several wisps were hanging down in her face. Vince walked into the room and shut the door softly behind him.

He turned off the TV, which sent the room into darkness even though it was only 7 o'clock. Vince walked over to her window and opened up the blinds. Very little light came into the room. He walked back over to Jocelyn's bed and sat down on it. Quietly, he removed his shoes and slipped in next to her. He wasn't really tired, he just felt like she needed some company.

"I'm sorry, Jocelyn," he whispered. "I know you hate being up here, but it's for your own good."

* * *

"Tell me I did the right thing," Letty said to Dom as she sat next to him on the couch after dinner.

Dom looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Was it the right thing to say no to Joce eating down here? I feel like the bad guy here. She hardly looks at me anymore. I don't know what it is, but I'm either really scared or really protective around her. I feel so out of character."

"Letty, you're not the bad guy. The bad guy is some ass hole out there plotting the ways he can make her life miserable. You're her sister who loves her."

"I just...it's so weird with her here. I cried the other day for the first time in I don't know how long. Dominic, I don't cry. I'm not the type to express my emotions through tears. I get angry, but I never cry."

"I don't know what to tell you, Letty."

Letty laid her head on Dom's shoulder. "I think I need a massage," she said softly.

Dom smiled and scooped her up into his arms. "I think you do too," he replied as he made his way toward the stairs.

* * *

Jocelyn woke up and froze as she felt an arm wrap around her waist. She felt her hands begin to shake slightly as she turned her head to see who was in her bed. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was only Vince.

Light from outside poured into the room. Jocelyn saw that the street lights were on and decided to close the blinds. Recently, she had become uncomfortable with them being open. She moved Vince's hand and put her legs on the ground. Slowly she stood up, hoping not to move the bed too much. Jocelyn padded her way softly over to the window and place on the side of the wall to help balance herself. As she reached to close the blinds, a car parked across the street caught her attention. In the driver's seat sat a figure with a camera pointed right at Jocelyn's window.

Her body immediately froze with fear.

"Vince," she said in a hoarse voice. She had suddenly lost control of her voice.

"Vince!" she screamed, still watching the car.

Vince shot up in bed and looked over at her. Within in seconds, he was at her side and saw the car. Without saying a word, he rushed out of the room and down the stairs.

Jocelyn watched from the window as Vince ran out of the house. The driver of the car started it up and sped off. Her body began to shake as she walked over to her bed. The sound of feet running up the stairs filled her ears. Vince walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Jocelyn nodded. Her control of her voice was lost. Once again, her privacy had been invaded.

"Why won't they leave me alone?" she whispered.

Vince clenched his jaw and looked at her. Her eyes had bags underneath them the size of Texas.

"When was the last time you slept other before today?" he asked.

Jocelyn looked down at the ground. Vince placed a hand under her chin and lifted up her head.

"I haven't slept since before I was shot. I mean I've passed out due to lack of sleep, but as for willingly sleeping I haven't in a week or so."

"Why not?" Vince asked, concerned.

"The dreams keep me up. Every time I close my eyes I either see Carter's death or me getting shot again. It's almost as if I'm afraid that if I close my eyes that I won't wake up again."

"Have you said anything to Letty? I mean does she know that the dreams are this bad?"

Jocelyn walked out of Vince's grip slowly and sat in the bed. She didn't have enough energy to stand.

"No, I haven't. I can't stand it when she looks at me. She gets this sad, empathetic look in her eyes that drives me up the wall. I can tell she wants to help and she wants to know what's going on, but I just can't say anything. I don't want her to worry about me. She has her own life and she doesn't need to worry about me."

Vince walked over and closed the blinds to her room. He silently cursed himself for opening them in the first place.

"Joce, you have to understand that she wants to help you. Letty doesn't feel as if she has to, she wants to."

"I don't want her to want to help me."

Vince sat down next to Jocelyn and pulled her into his lap.

"Everybody needs help at one point in time. You're going to drive yourself crazy fending for yourself. Let us help you. Let us take care of you."

Jocelyn placed her head against Vince's shoulder.

"But if I do that, then that means that y'all will get hurt. Whoever is after me, is going to stop at nothing to hurt me and those who I care for. I just keep thinking that if I am on my own and push myself far away from you guys, that y'all will be safe."

Vince kissed the top of Jocelyn's head.

"You don't need to worry about us, Jocelyn."

Jocelyn sighed. She felt her eye lids growing unimaginably heavy.

"I'm tired, V. Physically and emotionally. I feel as if I could sleep for days, weeks even."

"Well then do it, Princess. No one's going to stop you from getting a little beauty rest."

"Will you stay with me?" she asked, looking up at him.

Vince bent down and placed a light kiss on her lips. "Of course I will."

Jocelyn smiled and crawled out of his lap to her spot. She closed her eyes and within seconds was out like a light. Vince fixed the covers around her and then laid down next to her.

"Sweet dreams, Princess," he whispered before closing his eyes.


	20. 19: It's Chocolate Chip Cookie Time

**City of Lost Angels**

**Chapter Nineteen  
**_It's Chocolate Chip Cookie Time_

Vince ran a hand through his scraggly hair as she walked down the stairs. He had awoken to find himself alone in bed and became immediately alarmed. His fears were quelled as he rounded the corner and heard voices coming from the kitchen. One male and one female.

"All right, Jess," Jocelyn said as she shifted in her stool. "Preheat the oven to three hundred and fifty degrees."

Vince stood behind Jocelyn and silently watched Jesse preheat the oven. Jocelyn reached over to pick up her glass of tea that sat next to her on the counter, but stopped when she felt someone standing behind her. She slowly turned around and froze when she saw Vince standing in the doorway.

"Hey," she said. A smile crossed onto her face.

"What are you doing up?" he asked in his no-nonsense tone.

"I'm doing great. What about you?" Her smile did not fade.

"Jocelyn, I'm not kidding. Why are you out of bed?"

"I wanted to make cookies."

Vince quirked an eyebrow at her. "Why?"

She shrugged and replied, "I just wanted to. Plus, Jesse said that he hadn't had cookies in a long time."

Jesse raised his hands up in defense. "She asked. All I did was answer."

Vince shook his head and returned his eyes to Jocelyn. "Didn't you hear what the doctor said?"

Something flickered through Jocelyn's eyes that Vince had never seen before.

"Well, a little birdy told me that you weren't one for following doctor's orders either."

Out of the corner of his eye, Vince saw Jesse shift uncomfortably before straightening up the counter. He immediately knew who the _little birdy_ was.

_I'll deal with him later, _he told himself before focusing on Jocelyn.

"That's not the point, Jocelyn. The point is you have already been hurt once since your accident. I don't want you getting hurt again."

"Accident?" she scoffed. "You mean since someone tried to kill me. And just so ya know I have had my butt on this seat for the past half hour. Jesse has been making the cookies. The only thing I did that was wrong was get my happy little butt down the stairs and into here."

"You let Jesse make the cookies?"

Jesse attempted to respond, but the oven beeped, signaling that it was done heating up.

"Jess, put the cookies in there and watch 'em. I need to go to the bathroom," Joce said in a soft voice before hopping slowly off the stool and heading toward the bathroom on the first floor. Vince followed Jocelyn to the bathroom to make sure she was okay, but turned back around when she slammed the door in his face.

With a heavy sigh, Vince walked into the kitchen and froze in his spot. Jesse was bent over with oven mitts on his hands, peering into the closed oven.

"When do you think they'll be done?"

Vince shrugged and moved closer. He too bent over, the opposite way of Jesse, and looked into the oven.

"They look done."

"But they've only been in there for a minute at least. Have you ever made cookies before, V?"

Vince moved closer to the oven. "Maybe a few more minutes."

Jesse nodded, but they both continued to look into the oven. It wasn't until they heard laughter that they moved. Letty stood next her mom, Samantha, and they were both laughing, hard. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.

Both men stood up and acted as if nothing had happened. Jesse slipped off the oven mitts and put them behind his back. Once Letty regained her composure and stopped laughing, she whipped her eyes.

"Where's Joce at, V?" Letty asked. A small laugh floated into the sentence.

A dark look passed over his face as he remembered Jocelyn yelling at him, but he quickly wiped it away. "She's in the bathroom."

Letty quirked an eyebrow but said nothing. It was clear that her mother did not know about Jocelyn's incident. The sound of the bathroom door opening filled the air and seconds later Jocelyn appeared in the door way. Samantha walked over and Jocelyn a hug.

"It's so good to see you," Samantha said, squeezing harder.

Jocelyn clenched her jaw and blocked out the pain. She wasn't in any big rush to tell her mom about what had happened to her.

Letty noticed the look of discomfort float onto her face.

"Hey, ma, why don't you and I go in the living room for a sec? I think V and Joce need to talk."

Everyone turned to look at V. He had a look on his face that really couldn't be described. It was anger, pain, and something else all combined into one look. Jocelyn felt her heart skip a beat when he turned his gaze onto her. Everyone walked out of the room slowly. She could hear Samantha asking Letty something and her and V, but she decided to ignore it.

There was silence between the two. Jocelyn was unsure of what to say and Vince was trying to put his words in the right order.

"I'm sorry," Jocelyn finally managed to choke out.

Vince stuck his hands in his back pocket and sighed. "I'm just worried about you, Jocelyn. I'm afraid that you're going to over exert yourself and end up hurt again."

Jocelyn nodded and wiped at a stray tear that had fallen down her cheek.

"Hey," he said as he pulled his hands from his pockets and walked up to her. "I wasn't trying to make you cry." He brushed his thumb over her cheek as another tear fell.

The feeling of Vince's arms wrapping around her, sent Jocelyn over the edge. "I'm just scared, Vince," she admitted finally. Tears streamed down her cheeks like a waterfall. It pained Vince to see her this way. "I have to look over my shoulder all the time. And I never know who I can trust."

Vince kissed the corner of her mouth and looked her straight in the eyes. "You can stop worrying, baby. I'm going to be here for you no matter what, all right?"

Jocelyn nodded and wiped at her cheeks, but it was useless. The tears kept falling no matter what she did to stop them. Vince pulled her into his arms and laid a kiss on her lips, sending shivers down both of their spines.

"V," she whispered after the kiss had ended.

"Yeah?"

The sound of someone knocking on the front door prevented Jocelyn from saying what she wanted to. And that was, "I love you."

"Joce, it's for you," Letty called out from the living room.

Jocelyn gave Vince a curious look before wiping her tears and slipping out of the kitchen. Her mother sat on the couch with a curious look on her face as well. It was obvious that Jocelyn had been crying.

"Who is it, L…"

The sentence died on her lips when she saw who was at the door. "Sandra! Oh my goodness. What has it been? Four years?"

In the doorway stood Jocelyn's best friend from high school, and the woman who had been hired to kill her. However, she didn't know about the last part.

* * *

**A/N: **Short, I know. I just wanted to get an update up. Sorry. Better chapter next time. Review, please. - Megan 


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